If you own an Android device and you don’t yet know how to program apps for it, then you are missing out hugely on the capabilities of that device as well as a great opportunity to earn some extra cash. Let’s take a look at why it’s time to start learning to program for Android, and at how you can go about it.

It’s Never Been Easier

The first good reason to start programming on Android now is that it has truly never been easier. There is a wealth of support out there to help you get started with Eclipse and Java, but at the same time there are also a range of alternative tools that do a lot of the complicated programming for you. The best of these is ‘Basic4Android’ which uses the old BASIC programming language in order to let you create programs. This is a far simpler method that using Java while still affording you full control over the app and allowing you to create the full gamut of games and productivity applications. Check it out, and you might be surprised at just how easy it is to start making games.

Programming is Great

This can also act as a great place to start programming in general, which is something worth doing for its own merits. Steve Jobs once said that everyone should learn to program because it teaches you ‘how to think’. Regardless of whether you agree with that particular statement, there’s no denying that it’s fantastic brain training and that it can help you to think in a particular logical manner and to do all kinds of things (it’s good on a CV too).

It’s Great for Customization and Productivity

Many people think that the only reason to learn to make apps is so that they can sell them for cash – but actually that’s far from being ‘all’ you can do with them. More useful still is being able to create a practical function that helps you with something that you need to do. Need to organize a whole batch of articles on an SD card? Well you can either sift through them yourself for hours, or you can write a procedure to do it and have it done in minutes. Constantly doing the same sums at work? Make an app to handle that for you and you can save time, improve your accuracy and impress your boss all at once.

And you can even use app development for fun just to personalize your device. Now many people these days enjoy setting up their Android homescreens to be unique and beautiful and see it as a great way to stamp some individuality on their device. But what you can do with apps and widgets pales in comparison with what you can do by writing your own code – the best way to have a completely unique phone that no-one else in the world has.

Then, once you’ve made an app that you find either immensely useful or highly enjoyable, you’ll be able to unleash it on the world and potentially make a fortune.

Nancy Baker, the author of this article, is a freelance blogger who is currently writing for, wantbuyletbuy.com, which offers many accessories like cases for Samsung Galaxy S3. She enjoys researching and using the latest innovative applications that are available in the market.

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